As champions of contractors, freelancers, and the self-employed we’re delighted to announce that we’ve joined the list of sponsors for National Freelancers Day 2017. With the number of self-employed workers in the UK increasing year on year their contribution to the economic landscape of the UK continues to grow.

Thursday 8th June will mark the 9th annual NFD celebration. Curated and hosted by our good friends at IPSE, this year’s event will take place at King’s Place in central London (right next to King’s Cross station). Whether you’re a student designer or a veteran engineer, there’ll be something for you.

As we’ve mentioned once or twice on these pages before, Kingsbridge Contractor Insurance is celebrating its 10th birthday this summer. Whilst most 10 year olds would be delighted with an Owlicorn Hatchimal or a Nerf N-Strike Elite Terrascout Remote Control Drone Blaster (yes, we had to Google those), we’re doing something a little different.

Later in June we’ll be throwing our own birthday party for staff (and their families). Unfortunately we couldn’t find room for pass the parcel or musical chairs, but we do have one or two back-ups including:

Funfair stalls (cork shooting, hook a duck, tin can alley)

Bouncy castles

Face painting

A bucking bronco

Total wipeout

Ferret racing

Falconry

Bandeoke

Popcorn

Organic ice lollies

A hog roast

A barbecue

We’ll be covering more of our 10th birthday shenanigans on the blog over the next few weeks, so if you’re a fan of pictures of senior management members letting loose on giant inflatable castles do make sure to check in.

In the meantime take a look at the poster we’ve put together for the event above. Early weather forecasts suggest a ‘partly sunny’ day in the low 20’s – good enough for us! Here’s hoping it stays that way.

Time management is a skill you’ll continue to develop as your contracting career progresses. As soon as you think you’ve got those skills down to a fine art, you might win a contract that tests them to the maximum.

How you effectively manage your time can be the difference between success and failure as a contractor as it heavily relies on self-discipline.

So how can you successfully manage both your career and your time? Here are three key tips to help you become a time management superstar.

Although we know everything there is to know about insurance here at Kingsbridge HQ, there are one or two things we’re not quite as sharp on. Cheese is one. Wine is another. As part of our series of staff events we thought we’d try and remedy the situation.

In a former life Mark Everett, one of our Business Development Managers, was an esteemed oenologist. In his current life, friend of Kingsbridge Henry Ravenhill helps to run the excellent Woefuldane Organic Dairy. We brought Mark and Henry together and asked them to draw up a list of cheeses with a selection of wines to complement them.

As Mark would readily point out, getting the right mix is somewhat dependent on the palette of the person sampling the goods. Whilst the combination of a slice of Roquefort and a 2011 Castel nau de Suduiraut might be masterful to some, it might leave others a little nonplussed. Nonetheless, everyone dived in with élan.

Regular readers of the Kingsbridge blog will already be aware that Insurance Premium Tax is rising to 12% from 1st June 2017. You can read our take on the increase here.

So what does it mean for you? If you’ve been putting off a necessary insurance purchase we’d recommend that you take advantage of the window between now and the end of May.

It’s worth noting that the saving only applies if your policy starts before 1st June. If you were to buy before that date but chose to have the cover start after then you would fall into the 12% bracket.

Getting your cover in place might not be the most exciting of prospects, but it makes sense to save as much money as you can.

If you’re a contractor or freelancer why not get in touch with Kingsbridge? We offer the simplest, most compliant, and most comprehensive self-employed insurance cover in the market. The best possible cover at an unbeatable price. What’s not to like? You can reach one of our friendly Customer Service Team on 01242 808740, or you can head on over to our website and get a quote by clicking the button below.

When it comes to securing your new contracting job, a well put together CV is crucial. Contracting is a competitive industry, with many choosing to take the plunge and become their own boss. How can you make sure you stand out?

At Kingsbridge, we’ve come up with a short guide to writing a killer CV. Hopefully, our pointers will help you to secure your next job!

When you start working for yourself you can start to feel overwhelmed when it comes to managing your productivity throughout the day. It feels like you’ve got so much to do you don’t know where to even begin. That’s why we’ve come up with 11 productivity hacks every contractor and freelancer should know.

Are you thinking about a job change? It might be slightly better pay, but will you feel truly satisfied? If the answer is a straightforward ‘no’, then why not think about becoming a freelancer? With instant access to hundreds of thousands of jobs online, the world really is your oyster!

Amidst the clamour surrounding last year’s divisive (and final) Autumn Statement, you might have missed the news that the standard rate of Insurance Premium Tax (often abbreviated to IPT) was increased from 10% to 12%, effective from 1st June 2017.

As is often the case, time seems to have moved rather quickly since then. With the increase less than a month away it’s worth considering completing any insurance purchase you may have been putting off. Of course, if you already have insurance in place then you have nothing to worry about (although you might want to warn a friend or two!)

Becoming a first-time contractor is exciting. A new venture, a chance to make your own money, and to set your own working rules. So if you’re just starting out on your own the following four mistakes are ones you can take steps to avoid.